New York City Councilwoman Vickie Paladino is urging the incoming Trump administration to launch a federal civil rights probe into the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office on the heels of Marine veteran Daniel Penny’s Monday acquittal, alleging District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s charges in the high-profile subway chokehold case, among others, were politically motivated.
“It’s really simple. The Manhattan D.A. has made this racial. We have seen what A.G. Bragg has been capable of and has tried to pursue, and I think between Trump and now, this is the icing on the cake, with Penny… They make it a vendetta. He is definitely political. This is politicized, and I think he needs to be investigated. I think the whole DA’s office in Manhattan needs to be investigated,” she told “Fox & Friends First” on Tuesday.
Paladino, a Republican, has been outspoken on 26-year-old Penny’s behalf, expressing her support at a news conference last year, where she argued he had been “failed by the system” and demanded he receive a fair trial.
DANIEL PENNY TO BE TAPPED FOR CONGRESSIONAL GOLD METAL BY HOUSE GOP LAWMAKER
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg speaks during a press conference at the Louis J. Lefkowitz State Office Building on March 21, 2024 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Penny was charged with second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide in 30-year-old homeless man Jordan Neely’s death on a New York City subway after he put Neely in a chokehold for threatening other passengers.
The manslaughter charge was dropped at the prosecution’s request on Friday after jurors failed to reach a unanimous agreement twice.
Penny was acquitted of the lesser charge of criminally negligent homicide on Monday, drawing outrage from Black Lives Matter activists who vowed to protest the outcome.
“Over this weekend, they [jurors] knew that they were sent in to convict him no matter what, and I think there were a lot of people on Friday who knew that, who sat on the jury, and I think that’s why it came back as quick as it did,” Paladino said.
DANIEL PENNY FOUND NOT GUILTY IN SUBWAY CHOKEHOLD TRIAL
Vickie Paladino arrives for Daniel Penny’s trial at the Manhattan Supreme Criminal Court building in New York City on Monday, December 2, 2024. (Julia Bonavita/Fox News Digital)
Bragg said in a statement reacting to the acquittal, “The jury has now spoken. At the Manhattan D.A.’s Office, we deeply respect the jury process, and we respect their verdict.”
The statement continued, “Unfortunately, over the duration of this trial, talented career prosecutors and their family members were besieged with hate and threats – on social media, by phone and over email. Simply put, this is unacceptable, and everyone, no matter your opinion on this case, should condemn it.
“These are prosecutors who have dedicated decades of their lives to public service and to the safety of Manhattan. I am grateful to them, as well as to the NYPD for their hard work and commitment on not only this matter, but for all they do on behalf of New Yorkers. I also want to thank Judge Wiley for presiding over this case. Finally, I want to thank the members of the jury who took time out of their lives to diligently evaluate the evidence.”
Maud Maron, an attorney and Republican vying for Bragg’s seat, also criticized the progressive D.A. as she sat down with “Fox & Friends” co-host Lawrence Jones on Monday.
“Alvin Bragg came into this office with his day one memo, which was wrong in so many different ways, saying that he would not prosecute, resisting arrest, saying that he would treat certain felonies as misdemeanors, which is not his role,” she said.
“He’s going out. He’s ending his term now with this Daniel Penny case. This is going to be his legacy, that he tried to prosecute a young man who has no criminal record, who had served his country honorably and who did what many people in the subways would hope, which is to be a brave young man and step up and try to protect people on the subway.”